Improvement in railroad-rail joints



J. SHINN.

Mmmm RAIL-Jorn. A Nc.173,350. Emmareb. 8,1187'6.

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UNITED .STATrrsA PATENT OFFIGE- I JOHN SHIN N, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, .ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS'RIGHT TO JAMES F. STILEMAN, OFSAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-RAIL JOINTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,350, dated February8, 1876; application filed November 19, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN SHINN, ot' Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented an Improvementin Railway-Rail Joints, ot'which the following is a specification:

The object o t' my invention is to provide a secure and permanentrail-coupling at the joint of a railway-track, and also to prevent thesliding or slipping ot' the rail out of the coupling or tie;` andconsists in the combination of a coupling or tie provided withy twohollow tapering keys having a bolt passing through them, with abrace-bolt that will act as a stop to preventthe tie from sliding on therail, and, at the same time, act as a brace to strengthen the couplingor tie.

Figure 1 represents a cross-section of my improvements; Fig. 2, alongitudinal View of the tie; Fig. 3, a top view of the tie andimprovements 5 Fig. 4, a view of the brace; Fig. 5, a view of the taperkeys and bolt.

Similar letters in the drawings refer to like parts.

The tie A is cast in one piece, and with a suitable recess to receivethe endsof the rails R, and one side is provided with two taperinghollow keys, B B, which enter at opposite ends of the tie, and are drawntoward the center by the bolt C which passes through them, by whichmeans the ends of the rail are held irmly in the tie. This part of thetie is not new and is fully described in Patent No. 23,390, March 29,1859, and, therefore, will not require further description here.

D is the brace, and-is made as shown in Fig. 4. One end is cut with ascrew-thread for a nut; the other end is turned or bent to tit round theedge of the tie A. In the ends of' the rails are cut a notch, E, (seeFig. l.) When tie, and the opposite end is hooked to the edge of thetie. screwed tight.

The nut is then put on and the ends of the rail in line. Should the keysget loose, the brace C will prevent the tie from sliding 0E from eitherend of the rail forming the joint, and, at the same time, greatlystrengthen that part of the tie for the keys B B.

When it is desirable to take up and remove a rail, the brace D can beremoved, which will allow the tie to be slid to one side and breakthejoint. vOther rails may be putin and keyed up, as before described.

The tieA may be made eithercastorwrought iron, the keys of cast-iron,the nuts should be lock nuts, to prevent them from shaking loose.` p'

Tie A and taper keys B B, provided with a bolt, C, in combination withthe brace D, as described, and for the above purpose.

JOHN SHINN.

Witnesses:

W. N. MARCUS, GHAs. G. IMLAY.

The keys B B are then putin. from opposite sides, and a bolt, C, ispassed through them, and by screwing the nut the' keys will be drawntogether and firmly hold

